PULSE #6 - Romance

"Worship in its truest form is all about relationship"
-Matt Redman

Do you remember your first date? Was it awkward, or maybe just flat out weird expressing yourself? I remember the first time I asked my wife Lisa out on a date. She didn't believe me! Up to that point in our friendship I had given her no indication that I was a liar. If God could be surprised, do you think he would ever be taken back at the idea that we want to spend time with him? Think about that. Since the first time you asked Christ into your heart (your first date), have you continued dating or has the newness worn off?

Using the example of our earthly romantic relationships we explore a little deeper this idea of expressing our love to each other. In our relationship with God, there are many different ways in which He expresses himself to us...life, peace, death (His for us), eternity...just to name a few. Before I get ahead of myself, what are some ways in which we can express ourselves to our significant other. Okay, I'll start...smiling, hugging, holding hands, kissing, etc...etc... Lamar put it well:

"Just like a man and a woman on a romantic date should be themselves and let their feelings of love motivate their actions, so you must also let your inner love for God direct your worship."

One thing I want to make clear before we enter this realm of biblical expressions of worship. Just as in our earthly relationships, their are some expressions that should be expressed in private. As someone put it last night, an extreme example of this is sex. This is a beautiful gift of God to be expressed with our spouses at the right time and in the right place. I think we would all agree that this should not be a public act. I believe the same rule applies to some of the biblical forms of expression. Remember, our God is an incredibly creative God. He is also a God of order. Check out 1 Corinthians 14:12,26,40. Once again, I defer to Lamar:

"The dynamics of public worship are drastically different than the dynamics of private worship. There are some expressions that are great for your own private worship to God but that can potentially be distracting in public."

So, what are some of these different expressions? Well, just to name a few, the Bible commands us to sing, clap, bow, stomp, dance, jump, lift hands, prostrate ourselves, pray, meditate, cry, shout, kneel, give gifts, be silent (yes SILENT) and much, much more. WOW! What would your worship of God be like if you added just one of these to your mix? Just thinking about it, makes my heart jump! Of course, I have a heart murmur...I digress. Think about it though. How did you feel when you took your sweethearts hand for the first time? Even better than that, your first kiss? Can you imagine the intimacy with our creator that is just waiting for us to be bold enough to lean in. Once again, WOW!

As I'm writing this, I'm suddenly very aware of the lie that is lurking just around the corner. You know the one. It's the one that says that he or she must be closer to the Lord, because of their outward expressions. Or, a twist on that, they must be one of those emotional types that easily gets worked into a frenzy. Or, why aren't they expressing themselves. Whatever variation this lie takes, see it as just that...A LIE! Unfortunately, I think that Sunday mornings can be one of the most judgemental moments in our week. PLEASE FIGHT AGAINST THIS! Remember, "worship isn't driven by your visible performance or actions; worship should emanate from your relationship with the Father."

Luke 10:27 commands:

"You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind."

I think the key word here is ALL. Are you holding back? What new expression is God nudging you towards?

BE BOLD!

LEAN IN!